


Another Happy Return

by lirin



Category: Scarlet Pimpernel - Baroness Orczy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-02
Updated: 2011-10-02
Packaged: 2017-10-24 05:59:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/259825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lirin/pseuds/lirin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The <i>Day Dream</i> is nearing England; it's almost time to be a fop again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another Happy Return

“Land ho!” called the lookout on the _Day Dream_. Sir Andrew Ffoulkes glanced up, and then bent back to work over a sketchbook, where he was putting the finishing touches on a rough drawing of his wife Suzanne.

Percy stepped back from where he had been leaning against the ship’s rail, staring towards home. “Get below and tell the Comte and Comtesse that we will be arriving soon in England,” he told Dewhurst.

“I’ll tell them right away,” Dewhurst replied. “You should keep out of the way now that you’re not in disguise, or by tomorrow morning all of England will know that Sir Percy Blakeney is the Scarlet Pimpernel.”

“Ssshh!” said Ffoulkes and Hastings, glaring at him.

“What I meant to say was that Sir Percy Blakeney is the greatest fop in England and Sir Andrew Ffoulkes is the Scarlet Pimpernel,” Dewhurst backtracked. “I just kind of mumbled the middle part.”

“I’m not sure that’s an improvement,” said Andrew. “Do you think it’s an improvement, Percy?”

“At least he now condescends to recognize my greatness and my foppishness,” said Percy. “I’m sure any Englishman would say that that is much more important than merely being the Scarlet Pimpernel.”

“I must disagree,” said Hastings. “No matter how many people as Sir Percy Blakeney, the greatest fop in England, has surrounding him at every social event, three times as many lovely ladies gather to hear the slightest news of the Pimpernel.”

Percy nodded in agreement. “It’s horrifying, absolutely ghastly,” he drawled in mimicry of his most foppish behavior, “having to compete with that demmed shadow.” He grabbed a pencil from Andrew and flounced along the rail, holding the pencil to his eye like a spyglass. “I don’t know how you lads handle it. You’re absolutely right, Hastings, the ladies flock away from me at the mere mention of that fellow’s name. It’s intolerable!”

“If I didn’t know you better,” said Ffoulkes, “I’d say you were jealous of him.”

“He certainly sounds jealous,” agreed Hastings. He grabbed Andrew’s other pencil for a spyglass of his own, and used it to examine Percy closely. “Yes, he’s downright green with envy.”

“No, that’s just my emerald satin waistcoat,” said Percy. “If you look at my cravat, you’ll find that I’m really white as snow.”

“Come on boys,” said Dewhurst, “let’s go inform the Comte and Comtesse of our imminent arrival, and then we can tell them all about the great fop they’ll be meeting at the Prince’s ball, and how jealous he is of our intrepid leader, that Pimpernel fellow.”

“Good idea,” said Ffoulkes, closing his sketchbook and grabbing the pencil from Blakeney. They hurried belowdecks before the Pimpernel could talk them out of thus improving his foppish reputation.


End file.
